gladstone

Gladstone, city, eastern Queensland, eastern Australia, on Port Curtis, an inlet of the Coral Sea. Originally settled in 1847 as a colony by the New South Wales government, it was abandoned in 1848 but was resettled by squatters in 1853. It was named for the British chancellor of the Exchequer (later prime minister) William Ewart Gladstone and became a municipality in 1863. Source: www.britannica.com/place/Gladstone-Queensland

* Prior to the settlement of Europeans the area around Gladstone was occupied by the Gureng Gureng Aboriginal people. * The Gladstone coastline was first explored by Captain Cook in 1770. He sighted and named Bustard Head to the south of the city at Town of 1770. * In 1802 Matthew Flinders reached the area and named Port Curtis after Sir Roger Curtis, the Commandant of the Cape of Good Hope. * In 1823 John Oxley explored the coastline. * By 1856 the town had a population of 200. * The town was connected to Brisbane by rail in 1896. * By 1903 the town's population was around 1,500. * In 2011 the city's population was 32,000. * In 2015 the first shipment of liquified gas left for Asia from the Gladstone port. Source: www.aussietowns.com.au/town/gladstone-qld

Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) is one of the largest alumina refineries by alumina production capacity in the world,[1][2] located in Parsons Point, Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. The refinery was planned in 1964[3] and has been operating since 1967,[4] the refinery has the capacity to produce 3.95 million tonnes of alumina a year. In 1981 the output was at a quarterly basis over 600,000 tonnes per quarter.[5] At times of lower demand, operations have been altered.[6][7] Subsequent rises in demand have seen an expansion in output and employment.[8] QAL has been operated by a range of consortium partners of international aluminum producers over time. Comalco was brought into the consortium in 1969.[9] In 1982 it was owned by Comalco (30.3%), Kaiser Aluminum (28.3%), Alcan (21.4%), and Pechiney Ugine Kuhlmann (20%).[10] Since April 2005, it has been owned by Rio Tinto Alcan (80%) and Rusal (20%).[11] In September 2017 the QAL celebrated 50 years of operation. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Alumina_Limited

The Fig Tree, located on the corner of Roseberry and Auckland Streets, Gladstone, is a mature Ficus benjamina planted c1903 by local businessman James Friend in what was at the time, the horse paddock in the grounds of his Roseberry Street home, Elonera House. Gladstone township was established in April 1854, and the Friend family [Henry and Mary Ann Friend and their two small sons Harry (Henry jnr) aged 3 and James aged 1] were amongst its earliest settlers, arriving in 1855. Henry Friend snr was employed on the construction of Gladstone's first water supply. When this work was completed he established a general store in Toolooa Street, at the Barney Point end of town. As settlement gradually focussed further north, on Auckland Creek and the shipping trade, Friend established a shipping and forwarding agency, with his own wharf and warehouse, on the banks of the creek. He was a foundation alderman on Gladstone's first municipal council in 1863, and served as Mayor in 1866 and again in 1869-70. In 1875 his sons Henry and James took over the family general merchandising business as H & J Friend, with considerable success. In 1900 they moved from Auckland Creek to Goondoon Street, and in 1939 the business became a limited liability company known as Friends Pty Ltd. In 1954 the company celebrated 97 years of service to Gladstone during the centenary of the establishment of Gladstone in 1854. Source: apps.des.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=602385